Chap Chai

Name: Chap Chai (Vegetable Stew with Sliced Pork and Prawns (Shrimps))
Yield: Makes 6 to 10 Servings
Ingredients: 110 g or 4 ounces fermented soy bean paste (taucheo), pound finely if whole beans are used; 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced; ½ teaspoon sugar *; 5 to 6 cups water; 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce; 110 g or 4 ounces belly pork strip, sliced into 0.5-cm or ¼-inch pieces; 4 pieces firm bean curd (taukua), quartered; 30 g or 1 ounce glass vermicelli (tang hoon); 1 small head cabbage; 30 g or 1 ounce cloud ear fungus; 30 g or 1 ounce dried lily buds; 30 g or 1 ounce dried soybean sticks; 30 g or 1 ounce black moss fungus *; 140 g or 5 ounces small- to medium-size prawns (shrimps); ½ teaspoon salt; 4 tablespoons oil; 5 dried Chinese mushrooms

Vegetable Stew with Sliced Pork and Prawns (Shrimps)

Preparation info

Makes
6 to 10
Servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Growing Up In A Nonya Kitchen

By Sharon Wee

Published 2012

About

You can prepare this hearty stew a day beforehand. It only gets tastier, especially if kept overnight before serving. This is best served with white rice and sambal belachan.

Ingredients

1 small head cabbage
30 g or 1 ounce glass vermicelli (

Main course
Stew

Method

Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage. Discard the stem and tough white portions. Cut the green leaves into 5-cm or 2-inch squares.
Place the vermicelli, Chinese mushrooms, cloud ear fungus, dried lily buds, soybean sticks and black moss in a bowl and soak with just enough hot water to cover. Leave aside for at least half an hour to soften. When the mushrooms